How much drywall do I need for a 12×16 room?
A 12 × 16 ft room with 8 ft ceilings has 589 square feet to cover, walls and ceiling, after one door and two windows. That is 21 sheets of 4 × 8 drywall with 10 percent waste, or 14 sheets of 4 × 12. Finishing it takes about 31 lb of joint compound (1 buckets), 1 roll of tape, and 672 screws.
Drywall sheets for a 12×16 room
| Sheet size | Walls and ceiling | Walls only |
|---|---|---|
| 4 × 8 ft | 21 sheets | 14 sheets |
| 4 × 10 ft | 17 sheets | 11 sheets |
| 4 × 12 ft | 14 sheets | 10 sheets |
Counts include 10 percent waste, with one door and two windows deducted. The room has 397 square feet of wall and 192 square feet of ceiling.
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Mud, tape, and screws for a 12×16 room
- Joint compound: about 31 lb for three coats, which is 1 bucket of 4.5 gallon all-purpose. Use setting-type (hot) mud for the first coat if you are in a hurry.
- Tape: 1 roll of 500 ft paper tape, or the same in mesh for flat seams. Paper is stronger on inside corners.
- Screws: 672 coarse-thread 1-1/4 in drywall screws, about 2.2 lb. Buy a 5 lb box.
- Corner bead: one 8 ft piece per outside corner, usually none in a plain rectangular room.
- Primer: new drywall drinks paint; one coat of PVA primer is 2 gallons. Then see the paint calculator.
Which sheet size for a 12×16 room
Standard 4 × 8 sheets are easiest to carry and fit through doors: 21 of them for this room. Hung horizontally, a 4 × 12 sheet spans a 12 ft wall in one piece with no butt joints, which is why pros prefer them; this room would take 14 sheets of 4 × 12. Use 1/2 in on walls and 5/8 in or 1/2 in sag-resistant on the ceiling if joists are 24 in apart. At $12 to $18 per 4 × 8 sheet, the drywall for this room is about $252 to $378; a drywall crew to hang and finish it typically charges $884 to $1,767, or $1.50 to $3 per square foot. Insulating the walls first? See the insulation calculator.
Common questions
How many sheets of drywall for a 12x16 room?
21 sheets of 4 × 8 for walls and ceiling, or 14 for the walls alone, including 10 percent waste. In 4 × 12 sheets it is 14 and 10.
How much joint compound for a 12x16 room?
About 31 lb, or 1 bucket of 4.5 gallon all-purpose compound, for taping and three coats over 589 square feet. A 5 gallon bucket covers roughly 400 to 500 square feet.
How many drywall screws for a 12x16 room?
About 672 screws at 32 per sheet, roughly 2.2 lb of 1-1/4 in coarse-thread screws. One 5 lb box is plenty.